Broncos saved a ton of salary cap space with Demaryius Thomas trade

Trading receiver Demaryius Thomas made a lot of sense for the Broncos.

The team has some young talent at the position, including second-round pick Courtland Sutton. So Denver should be able to replace Thomas’ production.

And the Broncos probably weren’t planning to bring back Thomas next year, so getting a fourth-round pick for him is huge. On top of all that, Denver saved a lot of money, too.

By trading for Thomas, Houston inherited the player and his contract. That means the Broncos will save $4 million in salary cap space this year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Before the Thomas trade, the NFLPA’s public salary cap report indicated that the Broncos had about $5 million in available cap space. The team will have about $9 million now.

If Denver does not use that $9 million this year, it will roll over into next year’s cap. Thomas was on the books to have a $14 million cap hit in 2019. So the Broncos could have $18 million more next year than they would have before the Thomas trade.